It's been a tiring few days, but there's nothing like the Miromoda Showcase to lift the spirits on the final day of New Zealand Fashion Week. There's something special about this show - the level of support shown by the audience is incredible, and it has a whole different vibe of anticipation to any other fashion week show.
We attended the 2012 Miromoda Awards in Wellington back in June, where we got to see a snippet of what was on offer from each designer. Today was a chance to view the full collections of the top placed designers in each of the award categories in the place they belong - the New Zealand Fashion Week runway.
Poto Morgan - Toku Turangawaewae (My Standing Place)
Poto's collection - runner-up in the Emerging Designer category - explores her genealogy and pays homage to her marae, Turangawaewae in Ngaruawahia. It is described as combining a fresh fusion of traditional natural materials with dramatic contemporary theatre.
Pia Naera - Pia Boutique
Pia's collection wowed us at the Miromoda Awards, and since then her collection Neon Bloom has been featured on Fashion Guru. Pia's background in graphic design was evident in her collection Metric on show today, with a geometric print described as 'kaleidoscopic' the main feature. Our favourite was the stunning full length black gown featured above.
Christopher Huia-Woods - Textual Diaphanous
After placing third in the Avant Garde category this year, Christopher Huia-Woods brings a collection which is all about dressing for the MTV Generation which he describes as a 'visual cacophony'. Models hit the runway with hair intertwined around skull head pieces adding a dark, but playful and contemporary element to the styling.
Koia Gray - Olivia Edginton - Hohepa Thopson
T-shirt placement winner Koia Gray and joint runners-up Olivia Edginton and Hohepa Thompson are all from the Wellington area. With Koia and Olivia still students at Wainuiomata High School and already showing at New Zealand Fashion Week, the future is looking bright for these talented young designers.
Although controversial in recent months, Victoria University Wellington student Hohepa Thompson's designs were a crowd favourite at the showcase. Hohepa's models walked handcuffed together, perhaps another interpretation of some of the negative portrayals of Maori culture in mainstream media, which are explored in his designs.
Shona Tawhio - Iwi
Avant Garde runner-up Shona Tawhio is a fibre artist who has trained in traditional Maori weaving techniques and methods, with her talent for weaving reflected in her collection. Inspired by the classic elegance of style icons such as Grace Jones, Debbie Harry and Audrey Hepburn, Shona's weaving talents extend to the fusion of different fibers such as flax, leather, fur and silk.
Dmonic Intent
After seeing their collection Eight in the New Generation Show, the Miromoda Showcase offering from Dmonic Intent had a different feel. The Avant Garde category winners produced a collection that felt more wearable, with pieces that had an air of power about them suited for the modern career woman.
The collection was by no means dull business wear however, each piece had details to ensure the range still retained that Dmonic Intent flair we all know and love.
Monique Lynch - The Long and Short of it
Monique Lynch not only won the Emerging Designer category this year, she also took out the Miromoda Supreme Award for 2012 with her collection The Long and Short of it. Monique's futuristic feeling collection really stood out on the runway, a range of elongated women's wear constructed through the use of innovative materials and creative pattern cutting techniques.
Surface Too Deep
Swimwear label Surface Too Deep were this year's Established category winners, and are already a success story with their ranges stocked throughout stores in New Zealand as well as online retailing giant ASOS. With a distinct vintage feel to the collection, Surface Too Deep were a colourful end to this year's Miromoda Showcase and a fitting finale for the main venue shows.
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